Ginger
by hiddenwriter691
Summary: An early River regenerates into a ginger, and this River is much more...handsy than the last.


A/N: For the story's sake, let's say that the Doctor has been travelling linearly with her for a while. I just had a random thought, wondering what the Doctor would think if River regenerated ginger at some point. Also, I still don't own this.

Ginger

River Song's breath was shallow now, and the Doctor's hearts were breaking, even though he knew she would make it through this. The familiar golden glow was already surrounding her wound.

The Doctor held her head in his lap, not even wincing as she grasped his hand in a bone-crushing grip. Her grip was slackening as the bullet wound in her chest offered up her blood at an alarming rate.

"Don't worry, Sweetie," River smiled painfully, a quite lovely, almost innocent smile in this regeneration. "You know what comes next."

The Doctor nodded, not feeling better, and actually feeling quite nervous. He wondered if the next one was the curly-headed one that he knew so well. "I'll miss this you, River," he said honestly. This one was young and inexperienced. Her hair was straight and brown, and she looked just like Rory.

"You miss the older one, though. The one you knew." Her smile wasn't accusatory, just honest, like she always treated him.

"I miss you all the time, River. Every time we are apart." He smiled slightly, trying to convey that it was okay.

"Don't try to distract me with the sappy talk." Her gentle voice was growing weaker. "You should probably step away now. I can feel it coming."

Her whole body was wrapped in an aura of gold light, and the Doctor had to agree. He set her down gently; making sure that her head didn't hit the TARDIS ground too roughly.

He took a few steps back, wishing he could hold her hand while she regenerated, but that would be a bad idea.

The gold light filled the room then, bursting from her fingers and toes and head. Her back arched, and the Doctor had to look away because the brightness hurt his eyes. He leaned against the console, feeling the heat of the regeneration at his back.

After an agonizingly long minute, he heard, "Uh, Doctor?" Her voice was a bit rougher and a bit lower, and it held an edge of womanly-ness that it hadn't before. That would take some getting used to.

But it wasn't curly River. Not yet.

He turned around to see…a ginger. "Hello," he said, a slight grin forming on his face.

"Hello," she answered, feeling her chest and her stomach and her waist. She shrugged, obviously okay with this new body.

He was watching her face intently, and suddenly, he giggled.

River caught his eyes, raising her own eyebrows. "What the hell was that for?"

"You're a ginger!" He smiled, taking a few steps closer.

"Am I?" She pulled a strand of long red hair in front of her eyes. "Oh wow. That's going to ruin some of my clothing options. Thanks Mum."

"River! You're _ginger_!" He squealed.

"Yeah. Seems that way. How does this one look? Should I ask for a trade?" She frowned. "This me seems a bit bitter. Am I being bitter?"

"River, you're a _sexy_ ginger, even!" He circled her a few times, looking her up and down.

"Watch it, dear," she smirked. "Wouldn't want your first Sexy getting jealous." She motioned toward the TARDIS console.

The Doctor ignored that comment, finally stopping his analysis of her, halting before her face, noting that their heights were equal now, and she even perhaps had a hair of a centimeter on him. That would take some getting used to as well.

He had to get on his toes a bit to kiss her forehead. "I'm glad you're okay." He hugged her then, a tight hug that the last River always complained cut off her breath.

She hugged him back, and he relaxed. "I'm pretty glad too. And I'm feeling something. I think this body finds you even sexier than the last one. Is that normal?"

He leaned back to look into her eyes, which never changed, not really. "I mean," he coughed a bit, "Tastes change and things. You might find yourself liking foods and things that you didn't before. I suppose that could transfer over into…err…sexual preferences." He scratched his cheek.

"Has that ever happened to you before?" She asked, finding his awkwardness very alluring. The allure wasn't new, but the _level_ that she was feeling it now was.

"I mean…" He wouldn't look her in the eye, and his hand was busy in his hair. "I mean…I've only ever…I haven't…I usually don't have one woman that rolls over between regenerations, you know? I mean...Rose, yeah…but Nine didn't really feel it like Ten, but I guess Nine felt something, you know?"

She raised her eyebrows, wanting to shut him up by kissing him, but refraining because she had some questions to ask first. "I _don't_ know. Does this mean I should worry for you to regenerate? Are you going to leave me somewhere as soon as Twelve rolls around?"

"Oh River," he breathed. He pulled her into another hug, resting his cheek against her shoulder. He could get used to that. "I don't ever make promises—" He began.

"Me either," she offered, as a matter of saying that he didn't have to promise anything.

"But I will say that I love you." He continued as he held her. "And I love you like a Timelord, not like a human, which is utterly different. Timelords aren't faces and bodies. We are time, and I love you in your timeline. For as long as you're around, I will love you, River. Even if we aren't together. Do you understand that yet?" He asked, not condescendingly. He asked like he would ask a younger Timelord who was just learning, like River.

"I'm beginning to, Sweetie," her voice was sincere, although she was beginning to think that she would never stop loving the man who she held now, and that scared her. "And now you should stop hugging me for a moment."

He pulled away, his face reflecting his confusion.

"Now come here," she grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the TARDIS console and closer to the wall. At first he thought she was taking him to the window, but instead she planted him a few footsteps away and a few centimeters off the wall.

"Uh, River?" He asked, meeting her eyes with question in them.

She grinned devilishly at him. "I'm so fully of energy, Sweetie." And she pushed his shoulders into the wall, placing her new lips against his in a very more-than-friendly kiss.

He made a noise of surprise, his arms flailing like the first time they kissed in his timeline. But it _wasn't_ his first kiss, and so he soon recovered, letting this newer body of River press into his in an entirely not-unpleasant manner.

"Was the wall necessary, River?" He gasped as she pulled his jacket off and was making for his bowtie.

"Hmm. The last me always wondered what it would be like to pin you against a wall, but she was so much smaller and so much more…wholesome." This River ginned evilly, and the Doctor found the flash of danger in her eyes entirely…attractive.

"Oh god," the Doctor grabbed her hands from where they already had his shirt half unbuttoned. "This River is more like Amelia."

"Talking about someone's mother while you're making out isn't usually a turn on, Sweetie." She said, although she was considering his words. "Well, the last one was more like Dad, yes?" Then she shrugged, obviously forgetting her parents for the moment. "Mum always said it was more fun to be ginger." She kissed the Doctor swiftly before returning to his buttons. "Thanks Mum."

The Doctor's eyes flashed with jealousy; he _so_ wanted to be ginger… but then River pulled off his shirt and his thoughts weren't really on anything but this new ginger River and how very handsy she was now.

"This is going to be a handful," he commented, his voice rising on the last word as River's fingers ran down his bare chest before hooking into the waistline of his pants. He certainly didn't sound entirely like he minded the burden.

"A whole new adventure, I'd say. Just _wait_ until I see what I can do with these longer legs." She winked at him. "Lots of running."

The Doctor swallowed nervously as she began removing the dress of old River, which he just realized was ridiculously short on this River. Weakly, he responded, "Yeah. Running."


End file.
